Megan Vining is a graduate of Washington State University and received her degree in Recreation Administration in 1998 and has worked for the City of Pullman for almost 25 years as the Recreation Supervisor and as of January 2022, being promoted to Recreation Manager. She is currently serving as the Acting City Administrator.
Megan is a Certified Youth Sports Administrator (NAYS) and a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional.
Megan has been active in NRPA and WRPA since 1998 and has served in many different roles including Annual Conference Committee member in 2017 and 2018, Annual Conference Awards Committee member in 2013 and 2025, Membership Committee member, member of Athletic/Fitness Section, Administration, Teens, and Facilities, served as District 6 Elect and Chair 2010-2014, and served on the Eastside Skill builder Committee from 2007-2011.
Megan is involved locally with Palouse Alliance for Healthy Individuals, Families, and Communities Member, Family Fair and Networking Breakfast Committee Member, current Chair of the Colton-Uniontown Distinguished Young Woman Scholarship Program, judge for the Washington State University Bruya-Wood Undergraduate Research Conference Judge, served on the YMCA of the Palouse Board of Trustees for nine years and the Boost Collaborative Board for nine years.

Lauren Woodmansee, Bellingham Parks and Recreation, Recreation Supervisor

Bio coming soon.

Chris Powell, King County Parks, Regional Scheduling Supervisor

As a proud alumnus of Eastern Washington University, Chris possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation Management and is currently the Regional Scheduling Supervisor for King County Parks. Throughout his fourteen years of experience working in the recreation industry, he has operated and facilitated programs at all levels. In his spare time, he loves to travel, exercise, enjoy sports, and spending as much time as possible with his family and friends. Chris is at his happiest when he is building relationships, helping others grow, and using any excuse to have a good time recreating.

Jennifer Burbidge, Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation, Director

Jen pursued Recreation Management with the intent go into private recreation but fell in love with community parks, culture and recreation and dove into that work for the past three decades. She enjoys the wellness aspect, creating healthy communities, and being the “fun” part of local government. Over the past 30 years, she has managed a diverse range of programs and projects in 6 communities prior to Lacey: Olympia, Anacortes, Federal Way, Kirkland, Puyallup and Tacoma. Her passions are leading a strong team and building relationships that will bring more amenities and access to people. She loves being in Lacey and working in partnership with North Thurston Public Schools, Senior Services for South Sound, Rotary, Lion’s Club, Saint Martin’s University, YMCA, PARC Foundation, Lacey Community Foundation and many others.

Jen lives in Lacey, adjacent to a 537 acre park she spent two years master planning. Construction is now underway for the first phase and should be complete by Fall. She loves spending time with her husband and their 4 kids. Their oldest is an engineer working for Boeing, the next kid graduates from WSU in May, the next kid graduates from CWU in June (yes, two graduations in two months!) and the youngest is finishing his first year at CWU. She loves her 2 dogs and 1 cat. She also loves spending time with best friends, in the yoga studio, on her bike, and in her garden (in that order).

Jen is your outgoing WRPA President but will continue to focus on equity, inclusion and belonging for all members, and strategic planning with the WRPA Board. She’s a former board member for North Thurston Kiwanis and received the club’s Mover & Shaker award for both 2022 & 2023. Also, in 2024 she received one of the 2024 Exceptional Woman Awards from the Soroptimist International Club of Olympia. 

Nick Farline, Kennewick Parks & Recreation, Director

Nicholas Farline has over 20 years of experience in the parks and recreation field, currently is the Parks, Recreation & Facilities Director for the City of Kennewick, Washington. Previously he served as the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director for the City of Valdez, Alaska. He also worked for the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, Washington State University Extension and was born and raised in Spokane, WA. He is passionate about the power positive recreation and leisure opportunities have on an entire community!
Farline is accredited as a National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE), earned a M.S. in Recreation and Sport Sciences from Ohio University, and B.A. in Economics from Eastern Washington University. He has directed outdoor recreation programs internationally as well as for municipal and state agencies, has taught both didactical and skill-based college courses, and has presented at state, national and international conferences. Farline was a member of WRPA in 2016-2018 and is currently a WRPA member involved in monthly Director Meetings, and RCO Youth Facilities Workgroup member. He was an Alaska Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) President-Elect, and has attended seven NRPA conference in a row. He would be honored to serve on the WRPA board.

He has a core belief that WRPA is and will continue to be an advocacy tool for the Parks and Recreation field both here in the state of Washington and nationally. The voice of many are stronger than the voice of a few, supporting partnership opportunities of local municipalities across the state to advocate for funding and legislation is a critical feature of WRPA. In addition, he thinks another opportunity is to continue to grow partnerships with institutes of higher education to bolster the number of new professionals entering our field. The need to grow the number of highly qualified individuals entering the Recreation and Parks field is critical to stay relevant and meet the needs of our communities. He would contribute to these efforts and provide valuable input to the board through a varied experience and national connections in the field.

Nicholas Farline spearheaded a successful award of an Economic Development Association Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Grant to provide a 186 acre park and trail system in a under-developed natural area. The award was for $2.3 million for a rural Alaska town. What makes this worthy of acknowledgement is the primary element of the award and plan is inclusive access into the park. Farline was able to use ARPA and his network to receive statements about the importance of inclusive community assets that helped articulate the need and value to both federal funding entities and local stakeholders. The ability for all ages and physical ability to access a community asset is at the core of our responsibilities to each of our communities. In addition, he secured $500,000 of funding to develop the first fully inclusive splash pad for the City of Kennewick. He is also leading an effort to update playground surfaces across the Kennewick system. This is an area he is intentional about securing funding and articulating the value of inclusivity to decision makers, staff and the community.

Lisa Ellson, Parks Tacoma, Community Center Assistant Supervisor

Bio coming soon.